Laugh It Up
by Invader Hog
Summary: The new weekly sitcom “New Directions” gets a new face named Rachel Berry and her fellow co-stars are willing to do anything to get rid of her. Full summary inside.
1. Pilot

**Laugh It Up**

**Summary: The new weekly sitcom "New Directions" gets a new face named Rachel Berry and her fellow co-stars are willing to do anything to get rid of her, even if it means bringing in the big guns in the form of their co-star, Noah Puckerman, an infamous playboy on the set.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.**

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**"Pilot"**

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"You are going to love me for the rest of your natural life," Emma Pillsbury said into her iphone was she hurried down the street towards her car.

"What are you talking about?" Rachel replied, fixing herself breakfast as the sun began to peek through her apartment window.

"I got you an audition to be on the new sitcom airing in the Fall, 'New Directions.'"

"Y-You're kidding me," Rachel said, almost dropping the milk in her hand. She looked out at her tiny apartment.

"As your favorite agent, would I lie to you? I am serious, just got finished with a meeting with the director, William Shuester and he has a good feeling about you. He said that he wants you to come to the auditions tomorrow. Now all you have to do is outshine the other girls," Emma said, unlocking her car and checking her watch.

"Have I told you how much I love you? This is the best opportunity; everyone knows that only the greats are on that show. I mean, it's just a sitcom, but it'll be a great step up from playing an extra," Rachel replied, running around her apartment to get ready.

"Well, don't forget that you love your agent and when you are free today, we'll get lunch. I have to go and wax my floor before I go to the rest of my meetings so I will call you later," Emma said and hung up as she started up her car and pulled out into the brilliant sunrise and LA traffic.

* * *

Rachel Berry's dream since she was four years old was to become a star. She was willing to work as hard as it took to get to stardom, even if it meant leaving her home and moving to LA with no money, no job, or real life experience. She often told her fathers in Lima that she was okay living in such a big place all by herself, but after three years, she realized she was not getting anywhere on her own. That was when she found Emma Pillsbury. Emma was a small-time agent who took on any job. She was the first agent to stars like Quinn Frabray and Finn Hudson. Well, that's what she claimed, but Rachel really didn't know for sure.

But Emma had gotten her first acting job she ever had, and that meant everything to Rachel. Since then Emma had only one other client who was a thirty-year-old married woman and so she focused most of her attention on getting Rachel in auditions. While she did well in the auditions, Rachel's tendency to be the diva really got in the way of her getting hired. "New Directions" was Emma's last really good chance before the beginning of shooting for the Fall seasons of shows for the networks. A brand new sitcom that included stars Quinn Frabray, Finn Hudson, and Noah Puckerman. The story was a simple one, an apartment is rented out to four different people after a misunderstanding and the group decides to live together while trying to get their own band off the ground. The comedy would be new, fresh and directed by Will Shuester, a well-known foreign films director now trying his hand at comedy. This was the perfect opportunity for Rachel to show off her true talent and be recognized.

She tapped her foot nervously as she looked at the numerous faces in the long white hall. The reason for these last minute auditions was because of the sudden drop of one of the actresses, Mercedes Jones, who ended up having to have back surgery. An up and coming pop singer, she was working on a music video and hurt her back. She would be in recovery throughout the entire shooting and so her spot was up for grabs. This was why there were almost fifty girls standing around with Rachel, reading lines to themselves and singing.

"N-N-Number f-f-f-fourt-teen p-p-please," a voice called, making Rachel look up. It was Tina C, an intern who was working on the set of the show and the one made to call the numbers. It was kind of dumb because she had that stutter and it was hard to hear anything. Rachel did not have to worry, however, she arrived an hour and a half before the call and was first to stand in the hall so she could hear her number easily. She was number nineteen and she thought about that every time a new number was called. A skinny blonde walked by her and followed the intern into the room.

A pair of large double doors down the long white hall opened and a group of people talking loudly entered. Ahead of the group was a single actor, texting on his phone while the people around him spoke. All of the women in the line, excluding Rachel, looked up to see him. It suddenly became a feeding frenzy as the girls started screaming and demanding the actor's autograph. He stopped and pulled off his sunglasses and gave them all an award-winning smile.

Rachel looked up only at the screaming and then resumed to look at her music. Nothing could distract her, including the actor that was just hitting Hollywood, Noah "Puck" Puckerman. While he was going to be co-staring in "New Directions" he was still just another person and Rachel did not have time with him. She needed to become a star before she worried about people who were already stars. While he was making his way down the long line of screaming fans, Tina came back to call the next number and Rachel counted the numbers, four more people and she would have her shot.

The group of people following Puck were his agent, his hairstylist and members of the paparazzi taking pictures and the screaming was driving Rachel crazy. She had far better things she could be doing than listening to this. That was the one downfall to becoming a star, she was going to have to fight off the press. Her need for being the star and center of attention was a little too strong against her growing hatred of the press. But she digressed as the next number was called and there were three to go. By the time that Puck had made it down to the girl standing next to her, Rachel was going to be called next.

"And you are?" Puck asked smoothly and the blonde bimbo smiled slyly.

"Karma," she said, and he flashed another award-winning smile. Tina appeared and before Puck even had the chance to look at Rachel, she ducked into the audition room. Thank god she got out of there, it was so loud! She followed Tina towards the large open room that would decide her fate.

Outside in the hall Puck watched the door slowly come to a close, the disappearance of Rachel taking his attention almost completely away. Never in his life had a woman avoided him, rather than throw herself at his feet. But he had no time to think of such trivial matters, he had to go and smooze the press.

* * *

Rachel didn't know what to say. She was standing in her kitchen, dumbfounded with the sound of Emma trying to get her attention back.

"Did you hear me? Hello? Rachel, I said you got the job! They loved you, and they want you to come to the press release party tonight to announce it. You'll meet everyone and by the end of the week you will be on the set!"

Rachel almost dropped the phone as she yelled out into the empty apartment and Emma had to wait almost a full five minutes before she got her attention again.

* * *

**- This is a new fic brought to you by the ridiculously large amounts of views and positive response I got to my "10 Things I Hate About Glee" fic that I am going to pick up with another Puck/Rachel with this. Hope everyone likes it. Thanks for reading!**

**Invader Hog**


	2. Episode 101: New Star

**Laugh It Up**

**Summary: The new weekly sitcom "New Directions" gets a new face named Rachel Berry and her fellow co-stars are willing to do anything to get rid of her, even if it means bringing in the big guns in the form of their co-star, Noah Puckerman, an infamous playboy on the set.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.**

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**A/N: For those whom have little knowledge about television (I watch far too much TV), the numbers at the beginning of each chapter mean the season number followed by episode number. Ex: Season 1 Episode 12= 112.**

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**Episode 101:**

**The New Star**

* * *

Quinn Frabray was not the kind of person who ever let anyone step into her spotlight. No stupid little-miss-know-it-all was not going to upstage her. The news that Rachel Berry, a nobody from Lima, Ohio, was going to play her best friend and roommate in the new show she was only doing for the sake of her image. Since the pregnancy scandal after her "engagement" to fellow actor, Finn Hudson, Quinn was getting pretty bad press. This show would take everyone's minds off of her being "pregnant" and the fact that she was pretty and amazing.

In Quinn's mind this made perfect sense. It was the appearance of Rachel Berry that was the big problem in her life. The moment Rachel appeared at the press release party, all hell had broken loose. Suddenly the cameras wanted a picture of the new kid on the block, the girl who was a nobody until she got this audition. Before the night was through it was determined that Quinn and Rachel would be great friends by the media and everything was going to be great for the new show. Quinn wanted to gouge her eyes out. But luckily Rachel was getting the media's attention off the stupid scandals and that was all Quinn cared about. Soon enough the show would be on the air and no one would be the wiser as to who Rachel Berry was.

Finn of course absolutely loved Rachel. Even if she was a bit off, she was brutally honest and kind to him, even if he had star status and she didn't. She was a little conceited and a bit weird, but he liked her and thought she was fun to hang out with. It was Finn that brought the small company really together to enjoy the night. He never had to worry about being outshined by a little starlit like Rachel Berry, he was a infamous high school quarterback who had gotten into the business through his family's friends. He landed his first big movie only a year earlier with the help of his mother's friend and was now a raging star among the preteens. He was a freaking amazing celebrity!

This did not stop Quinn from thinking that Rachel was a bug to be crushed. Which was why the first day of shooting she began to plot and wonder. Her agent, Sue Sylvester, completely agreed that the entire thing was a sham.

"What is that loser Shuester thinking, brining that little snot-nosed kid onto this production? He should be kissing my feet for my letting you even into this damned contract. If it hadn't been for the press, I would have had you playing in that new movie, the one with the sparkling vampires or whatever."

"Twilight," Quinn replied as she watched the writers and other actors gather for the first read through. Rachel was talking with her pathetic little agent, Emma, in the far corner.

"Whatever, those little brats. But don't worry, everyone knows that you're the star of this show, Frabray, you will always be the star."

"I better be, or I'll have to take my business somewhere else. I'm sure as a Cheerios client you have to do everything in your power to make sure I stay a star," Quinn said, looking sideways at Sue and she gave her a mean look.

"I won't even justify that with a response," she replied slowly, and sat back, fixing her bright pink tracksuit. The writers began to settle as Will walked into the room, the producer of the show following him. Figgins was the heart and soul of the operation and it was his say in the entire production, none could oppose his rule. Quinn kind of thought of him like a high school principal or something.

"Welcome everyone, for those who don't know me, I'm Will Shuester, the director of this show, 'New Directions.'" Will said, everyone clapping as Tina started to pass around the scripts.

"This is the pilot episode, here. McKinley Studios has ordered only six episodes so far, but if our ratings stay high, they will order the rest of the season. Now this is a comedy, as we all know, and has a fairly simple plot. Some people keep saying its just like FRIENDS and I'm here to tell you that FRIENDS has nothing on our new show."

"I heard it was more like that Ruby and the Rockits show," someone in the back of the room said and Will stared them down.

"Yes, we sing, yes we have a band, but we are not a singing family. It's a group of people who are practically strangers and come together in one apartment to create a great new band that is going to take New York by storm!" Will explained and opened his script, the room following suit. Rachel was sitting perfectly still, straight and had her hands folded right in front of her. Quinn slumped further back in her chair in a small weird rebellious way and looked over to see Finn and Puck sitting across the way, Finn trying to read the script upside down and Puck texting on his blackberry.

"Alright, from the top."

* * *

"What are you doing?" Rachel asked, looking across the table.

"Oh, nothing," Finn replied, the room giggling a little. The reading was going well, and Rachel was really enjoying herself. She was very happy to be here, experiencing everything so fast. She had been welcomed with practically opened arms by Finn Hudson and Quinn Frabray, she was so excited. Of course she noticed that Noah Puckerman was the only one who seemed less interested in paying attention and more into his phone. She couldn't have guessed he was currently sexting with a crazy ex-girlfriend, model Santana. She just thought that he was weird and moved on with her life.

The entire room burst into laughter at the right moments and she was really glad to see things going well. The writers would stop her and correct things, talk loudly amongst themselves and then return the comedy. It just felt so great to be with everyone. Rachel enjoyed a long conversation with Emma before the meeting had started and she couldn't believe how excited she had become. Of course the night of the press release party Finn had been a complete gentleman to her and Quinn was semi-nice. At least in front of the cameras and Rachel had a real nice taste of real paparazzi. She enjoyed being the center of attention, really she did.

"What are you two doing?" Quinn asked loudly, her arms crossed and looking between Finn and Rachel.

"Cleaning?" Finn asked as he turned the page.

"Excuse me? Did somebody call a plumber because…" Puck started, "Oh wait, this isn't a porn."

The room burst into loud laughs and Rachel looked up to see that Puck was actually paying attention. He had put away his phone and begun to really listen to everything that was happening.

"What in the hell are you wearing?" Rachel asked, and Puck looked up to actually see her for the first time. This moment seemed a little too long because Finn next to him bumped him a little. Rachel seemed confused when Puck suddenly coughed and resumed. It was so strange, she had seen what he looked like but he had just been staring at her. She just assumed it was a bad cue pick up and had forgotten it was his line.

"Jeans and a carpenter's belt," Puck recovered quickly, looking between his script and Rachel quickly.

The reading continued long through the afternoon and finally all of the new re-writes for the present were finished and the actors were dismissed. The first rehearsal would be the next day. Rachel went with Emma towards the exit when they were mobbed by photographers for follow-up from the press release. Rachel answered questions with a cool head and just as she was finishing she noticed that press was getting bored with her and went for Puck. He had just come out of the door when he was ambushed too, his agent Mike Chang standing in the way of the cameras and him. Rachel and Emma took this chance to escape and Puck was left to answer the same boring questions.

* * *

Noah Puckerman was a cool guy. He was far too cool for ever having to stand in front of a bunch of people and answer obvious questions. Okay, so he was a little slow, but there was nothing wrong with that. He was hot, strong, and sexy to boot, he didn't need to be smart. It was through his connections in the Cougar side of Hollywood that had landed him his first job working on a movie with Bruce Willis. He didn't need the crap that everyone threw at him. The biggest scandal of the town was the stupid Finn Hudson and Quinn Frabray "pregnancy." Puck was fairly certain that even though in the public eye Quinn emphasized being a good Christian woman and abiding to the laws of the Bible, she wasn't so great and Finn was just too stupid to not notice. Puck was certain that Quinn wasn't God's little angel, like she claimed and he would go for her if he ever got tired of super models.

But the thought of Quinn Frabray wasn't really appealing since the weird happenstance in the read through. Puck never really paid much attention during the readings if he wasn't involved, he couldn't care less about plot or characters or whatever. All he did was speak his lines and take off his shirt. Nothing much more than that. But when he looked up and saw the strange and new face of Rachel Berry, he was actually startled. He had been absolutely no attention during the press releases, during the interviews, anything doing with Rachel. It seemed to dawn on him during the middle of his line that he was looking at her for the very first time. He felt kind of weird thinking about how little he really knew what was going on around him. Then again, that's what he had Mike around him for, to take care of all of his problems. If the angelic appeal of Quinn Frabray wasn't enough to tempt the weird fantasies of Noah Puckerman, the strange dress and act surrounding Rachel Berry was enough to leave him stumped. She was so weird, with her clothes that made her look so outdated, and he noticed too that in all of her pictures she wore nothing but skirts. He began to wonder if he was going gay if he never noticed that she wore those skirts. If he was he was going to have to kill himself because he liked women and women only.

Then again, the appearance of the most unappealing chick was really bugging him. Mike managed to smuggle him into his limo and get him home but the thought of how strange Rachel had been was just really nagging at him. It was like the exact opposite of every actress he had ever met, she was completely unattractive. Well, not completely. She had nice legs… nice hair… nice, whatever. He would just level with himself and do what he always did when it came to categorizing women. Will bang her, will not bang her. Rachel Berry, was going into slot number two. For now…

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**- I am amazed at how quick everyone liked the "Pilot" episode. Really awesome, thanks guys. Puck of course has finally made it into the story by actually putting down his phone. More coming soon! Thanks for reading!**

**Invader Hog**


	3. Episode 102: First Rehearsal

**Laugh It Up**

**Summary: The new weekly sitcom "New Directions" gets a new face named Rachel Berry and her fellow co-stars are willing to do anything to get rid of her, even if it means bringing in the big guns in the form of their co-star, Noah Puckerman, an infamous playboy on the set.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.**

* * *

**Episode 102:**

**First Rehearsal**

* * *

"Here sweetie," Terri said, handing her husband a bottle of light beer as they sat down to watch TV together. Will thanked her quietly and stared ahead.

"How was the meeting?" Terri asked as she began to read a magazine.

"Pretty good, I really like this cast. Quinn is obviously a great choice for the lead. You think we are going to be okay when we launch the show?"

"Sweetie, you always do fine, you just have to be a little more confident," Terri replied and patted his cheek lovingly. He smiled at her and relaxed into the couch as they began to watch a re-run of Burn Notice.

"I wonder if I should do a spy movie," Will mumbled to himself and his wife flipped to the next page in her magazine.

"When do you start shooting?"

"Two days and we get on the set, then we shoot the pilot by the end of the week. Shouldn't be too terrible, I'm sure."

"Well, don't forget that you've been directing movies up until now, you have at least three months to get everything ready. Now you have like a week," Terri said, turning the page again. The phone rang loudly on the table in front of them.

"Probably Figgins," Will said and picked it up. "Hello? Oh, Miss Pillsbury, what can I do for you? Yes, yes that's fine. I will meet you in the studio tomorrow then. Alright. Thank you. Alright. Good bye."

"Pillsbury?"

"Rachel Berry's agent. The one I told you about that keeps cleaning my office whenever she comes by."

"Oh, the woman with the big eyes?" Terri replied, mildly interested in the strange women her husband was conversing with on the sets of his shows.

"Yeah, she just wanted to meet early tomorrow about some contract that I didn't sign. What are you going to do tomorrow?"

"Did you forget? I am going to spend the day with my sister. Her husband is going to watch the boys and we are going to hit the mall for a few hours."

"Terri, you shouldn't be going out and spending so much. My job could tank and we'd be in trouble," Will replied, looking over at her and then back to the television.

"Don't worry, I am not shopping, she is. She wants to buy the boys new outfits for the summer and I said I knew the best places. They are only in town for a few weeks, and then they go back to Ohio. The least I can do is show her around for a few hours so she can get away from those three brats."

"Fine, fine… Have you taken another test?"

Terri looked up from her magazine. They had been trying for almost a year now to get pregnant. Will taking the job on the television show was a way for them to stay at one location and not all over the world shooting movies. They were still not there and she was beginning to get worried. It seemed that Will thought about it all of the time too.

"I took three this week. Don't worry, we'll do it, I'm sure of it. We just have to keep trying," Terri said, kissing him on the cheek though it didn't relieve any of their worries.

* * *

Emma wiped her hands rapidly with a wet wipe as Will entered the office and saw her sitting on the chair.

"Oh, sorry, I had almost forgotten about our meeting," Will said, hurrying around her to the desk and sitting down.

"I wasn't worried, I mean, I… Um, you just need to sign this, saying that Rachel will get her name in the credits directly after Noah Puckerman. That was the only thing I think we still hadn't finished signing and we're good," Emma said, sounding exhasperated as she showed Will the contract.

"Thank you," he replied off-handedly, taking the contract from her outstretched hand and read it to himself. While he flipped through the pages Emma looked around his office. There were awards and many photos all over the walls, mostly of his films and many of him and his wife meeting famous actors and directors.

"Well, looks like everything is good," Will said, signing the contract and looking up at Emma staring at him.

"Oh, yes, thank you. And I wanted to thank you again so much Will for doing this for me-Rachel. Rachel is really going to help bring this show to the top ratings, I'm sure of it," Emma said, taking a deep breath in as she took the contract and stood up quickly.

"No problem, see you during the first rehearsal," Will said, smiling and holding out a hand for her to shake and she just stared at it. He retracted it and she just waved a little and hurried out of the office and Will went to look at his computer. A knock to the door caught his attention. "Come in."

"S-S-Sue S-Sylvester from t-t-the C-Che-Cheerio-ss-s, is h-here," Tina said as she poked her head into the door and Will nodded at her. Sue came striding in the office, wearing a bright blue track suit and looked right at Will.

"What brings you here so early, Sue?" Will asked, looking her over.

"Nothing much, Mr. Director, but it would seem that there is a problem with Quinn."

"Problem?"

"She's being upstaged by the useless new harlot, Rachel Berry. The Cheerios do not pay me fifty dollars an hour to watch my client get upstaged."

"Sue, we haven't even started rehearsals yet and I thought that you wanted Rachel in the limelight to get over that pregnancy scare crap in the press? Once the new show comes out everything they said about Quinn before will be in the past and no one will care, she'll be back on top again. Rachel is a supporting character anyway."

"Whatever you say, Shuester, but you better remember that I am one phone call away from pulling the plug on this whole production. New Directions had better make my girl a star again or so help me I will tell Figgins upstairs to never hire you ever again!"

Before Will could even say anything Sue was out of the door and nearly knocking over Tina as she went. Will sat back in his chair.

"What is wrong with everyone around here? Maybe I should have stayed in Mexico working on that Dennis Leary film…"

* * *

Rehearsal was a complete and total disaster and by the end Will thought that the show was going to be cut before the pilot could even be shot. Puck showed up hung over after opening a new club in downtown and Quinn kept forgetting her own lines. Finn was having issues just staying still but Rachel outshined them all. She was fifteen minutes early, had everything memorized and didn't miss a cue. This was the only saving grace Will really had. Rachel was a little strange but at least she was dedicated and made the three veterans look like idiots. Sue observed the action from the sidelines and often gave Will a glare or too but nothing more. By the break for lunch Will had reached his limits. He called his wife to complain and she reminded him that they were going to have problems until he brought them together.

Quinn was a little better after lunch and Puck managed to get a few good lines out. The day ended with Rachel outshining everyone and Will not having a good feeling about anything at all. This little upstaging was the end of it for Quinn. She was beginning to really find Rachel a big problem. First she was getting too much in the spotlight and now Rachel was coming on to Finn. Not that anyone normal would think that was what Rachel was really doing. Finn was just an idiot and so she had to help him a lot and while she thought he was cute, she had a strict policy of never dating fellow actors.

This did not stop Quinn from getting annoyed and jealous with Rachel. Which was why when she had a private conversation with Puck after the long and grueling rehearsal she was certain she had come up with the best plan.

"You want me to what?"

"I want you to seduce that little vermin and drop her like a rock. She'll be so heartbroken that she'll leave the show on her own," Quinn said, looking across the room where Rachel was talking with Emma.

"That's your brilliant plan?" Puck asked, having already decided that he was going to keep Rachel in the "do not bang" category of women.

"Come on, you know you don't have any standards. Just use her and abuse her like you do with all of the women you date," Quinn said, crossing her arms and looking him over.

"You want me to bang your co-star so that she'll dump the show? What are we going to do if that happens? We already had chick bail on us, Shuester is not going to like Rachel just disappearing in the middle of the Pilot episode."

"Then get her out of here by week three. That way it can be written into the show or something that she left and then I can get some little baby who will do anything I say."

"So this is less about Rachel being the problem and more of you thinking she's the problem. This is her first job, Quinn, she's just trying to prove that she belongs here," Puck said, though he really wasn't sure why he was even bothering to defend Rachel Berry of all people. He had been fighting the urge all day to go up to her and tell her how hot she looked in her blue sweater and khaki miniskirt. It was good he was fighting this urge because it would have made him look like a real idiot.

"Fine, how about this. I'll make it worth your while," Quinn replied, eyeing Puck and he turned his head.

"What? Money? I've got that."

"Not money. I meant something a little more of your style. You have been talking about wanting to open that place on 5th? What if I could get you an interview with the owner."

"What? I thought he didn't talk to anyone?"

"He used to attend church with my father. I could have a contract in your hands before you could say "Baptist minister" if you do this for me."

Puck didn't even think about it for a moment.

"I'll do it."

* * *

**- The Plot thickens! OMG! I opened my e-mail to get over forty e-mails for this one story with favs and reviews. Thank you so much! Btw, I don't think Dennis Leary is really shooting a movie in Mexico. Just in case you were wondering. Lol. Thanks for reading!**

**Invader Hog**


	4. Episode 103: On the Set

**Laugh It Up**

**Summary: The new weekly sitcom "New Directions" gets a new face named Rachel Berry and her fellow co-stars are willing to do anything to get rid of her, even if it means bringing in the big guns in the form of their co-star, Noah Puckerman, an infamous playboy on the set.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.**

* * *

**Episode 103:**

**On the Set**

* * *

Quinn had said the magic words to get Puck interested in getting Rachel kicked off of the set. While he had already decided to ignore her as long as possible, he was itching to get rid of her too. She was becoming far too distracting and the offer Quinn brought to him was irresistible. He had told her on the set of the last movie they worked on (Endless Bullets, an action about a rogue spy and blowing shit up), that he had always had this dream of opening his own club and the perfect location was not for sale. The old loser who owned it wouldn't sell to anyone, and Puck had been trying for months to get the guy to give in. If Quinn could get him that property, he would be able to finally do what he really wanted.

That's why he agreed so quickly. Besides, it was like killing two birds with one stone, getting rid of the distraction of Rachel and getting his land all at once. Perfect plan. Of course, convincing Rachel to bail on the show was going to be hard. The shooting and interviews took most of their time up. By the second day, they were finally in a good groove and Will could say he was pleased. He had everyone on the set by the third day and by Friday, they started to shoot the pilot.

The general plot of the show was fairly simple. Quinn's character, Violet Olson, rents out an apartment when she movies from Brooklyn to Manhattan. By mistake, so do three other people and end up all living together when they decide to form a band called "New Directions." (Hence the name of the show, though it took Finn a few times to understand where the name came from.) Rachel, playing Elizabeth Walters, is a rich girl who decides to get out on her own, becomes Quinn's roommate. Finn plays Kevin Stuart, an airline steward who comes and goes on the show all of the time. Puck played the idiot (of course), a model that works part time at the convenience store that the apartments sit over.

If the show took off, there were plans that Quinn and Finn would get together in the second season and eventually marry if the show did well. There were other rumors that Rachel and Puck's character might do the same and Puck wanted to get rid of Rachel way before that ever happened. He needed a hot model to kiss, not this woman that kept plaguing his thoughts endlessly.

The day of the first shoot in front of the rehearsal audience, Puck was standing by the food table and watching as the other three got ready for their first scene. Quinn was dressed like a secretary (which brought a lot of fun ideas to Puck's mind), while Rachel was wearing jeans (thank god). Even Finn was properly dressed up in his steward uniform and looked a little more professional than usual. Puck of course had his whole outfit on, no shirt, jeans and a carpenter's belt. He really hated low comedy sometimes. Then again, it was a easy way to hit on Rachel without really seeming to be trying to.

"Alright, let's get ready," Will called, sitting down on his chair as the cameras started to get ready. Kurt, the costume designer stood by and looked at his creations with pride while his assistant kept touching up Quinn's hair. The audience was talking amongst themselves and finally the announcement was made that they were getting started.

The pilot was going to be simple enough. Quinn came in first to an empty apartment and started putting in her things, then Rachel, then Finn and they would all run into each other at the same time and begin arguing. It was a predictable show, to say the least. But Puck was trying to not stare every time Rachel bent over to set down a box. The first half only took about two hours to rehearse, including re-writes and the laughing. Puck was on by the second half and everything was going pretty well.

"Okay, let's take it back from Rachel's last line," Will said, looking over his script.

"You want to what?"

"Share the apartment, there's plenty of room," Quinn replied, the audience laughing.

"Sounds good to me," Finn said, putting his hat back on. Puck looked over to Rachel and almost forgot to say his line.

"Yeah, plenty of room. In my pants!"

"Do you know how to say anything else but crappy porno lines?" Rachel asked, and Puck was about to answer when he forgot the line as soon as he looked at her.

"Uh…"

"The line is 'No I don't,'" his prompter whispered and he shook his head.

"Yeah, right. Okay," he said, the audience laughing and Rachel gave him a weird smile as if she was laughing at him politely.

"Alright, take it from that line and keep going," Will called out and the scene continued. Puck was now certain that he was going to have to get rid of Rachel. Of all the things he knew how to do, acting was the only thing he could say he was actually good at and she was even stealing that away from him by just being there. He told Quinn after the rehearsal that Rachel would be gone in a matter of two weeks, he promised.

* * *

Puck found that his plan was not exactly full proof. Well, actually, he didn't really have a plan whatsoever. He had tried to say "What up?" to Rachel after the shoot, and ended up looking like an idiot. She just gave him a weird smile in return and wandered off. Puck was completely unsure of how to approach the problem of getting Rachel to go out with him. Which is why he suddenly turned his attention to Emma Pillsbury.

Charming Emma Pillsbury was much easier than trying to charm Rachel Berry. He found her wiping her hands outside of the studio, waiting for Rachel to come out. He decided to attack then so she could not escape.

"Emma!" Puck said, sticking his hands in his pockets as he approached her. This was his "I'm a cool guy" pose that he used when picking up cougars. Emma was less impressed and just stared at him with her large creepy eyes.

"Puck," she replied, looking back at her hands.

"I was wondering something," he asked, "What is Rachel doing tonight?"

"Why are you asking me?"

"You control her life, Emma, we both know that. Mike is letting me off tomorrow night after the shoot and I want to take Rachel for a night on the town. This would be good press for both of us."

Emma pulled out her PDA and looked over it. She touched a few buttons and looked sideways at him.

"Rachel is going to a movie premiere tomorrow night, she could use a date."

"Sounds perfect."

* * *

**- Short chapter, a segway into the next part of the story. Who doesn't think that Puck is just charming when he stumbles over himself? Thanks for all of the awesome reviews and favs! Thanks for reading!**

**Invader Hog**


	5. Episode 104: Paparazzi

**Laugh It Up**

**Summary: The new weekly sitcom "New Directions" gets a new face named Rachel Berry and her fellow co-stars are willing to do anything to get rid of her, even if it means bringing in the big guns in the form of their co-star, Noah Puckerman, an infamous playboy on the set.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.**

* * *

**Episode 104:**

**Paparazzi**

* * *

"Why am I going to this movie premiere with Puck again?" Rachel asked as she looked at herself in the mirror.

"Rachel, this is a great opportunity for you. Anywhere Puck goes, the press goes. This is going to promote you both and the show of course. Just think of this as a way to get more roles. If the press loves you, you'll be on the front page of every magazine before the end of the summer," Emma explained as she cleaned the doorknob to Rachel's room endlessly.

"Fine, but why not Finn? He could take me."

"Finn and Quinn are America's Sweethearts right now but they have been getting pretty bad press since a pregnancy scare a few weeks ago. You are a way for the press to distract themselves from Quinn and Finn for a while. When the show premieres they'll be back together."

Rachel fixed the black strapless a little and looked at herself again in the mirror. She liked Finn really, but she had the sneaking suspicion that Quinn did not. Puck was a matter all of its own. Every time he seemed to want to talk to her he didn't say anything and just wandered off. When Emma came to her to say that he had offered to take her to the premiere she was actually extremely surprised, not really sure what to say. She had to agree only because Emma was so insistent and it would be a good opportunity for everyone. Emma's phone rang and she answered quickly as Rachel put her necklace on.

"Yes? Okay, she's ready. Alright," she said, hanging up the phone, "The limo is here, Rachel."

Rachel was hurried out of the room at Emma's command and into the open air in less than two minutes of running about. She looked down the stairs of her apartment to see the limo sitting outside, Puck standing outside with a tux. She was surprised to see that he even knew how to dress up. She saw Emma close the door behind her and she descended the stairs to meet Puck. He straightened when she came closer and she smiled.

"You clean up nice," he said and she wasn't really sure if that was really a compliment.

"Thanks…" she said, looking sideways to see Emma hurrying down the stairs as Puck opened the limo door for her.

"Thank you," Rachel said as she climbed in, Emma following and then Puck. The spacious limo was lit up for the night as Rachel sat down at the end, Emma taking a spot across from the two actors. The limo pulled away and the car was silent for a moment as Emma busied herself with cleaning a glass from the mini-bar to get a drink from.

"So, the plan is take plenty of pictures, a few autographs if needed and then into the theatre," Emma said, looking between the other two. Rachel just nodded and looked out the window and Puck kept looking around, seeming to be unable to focus on anything. The entire ride was silent except for a few breaks with Emma's glass was set down on the mini-bar. Rachel was so grateful when she saw the flashing of cameras as the limo pulled up to the premiere. The door opened and Puck practically jumped out to get the wave of camera flashes first. She was beginning to move out of the car when a hand appeared. He helped her out of the car and the sea of flashes dazed her as Puck guided her through the endless faces and voices. She smiled like a good actress. It was a relief when they finally made it through the throng to the inside and Rachel had to take almost a full minute to regain her sight again.

"It hurts at first," Puck mumbled, and she smiled up at him. So he could talk.

"Yeah, but that's price of fame, I suppose," Rachel replied as Emma came over to the pair.

"Alright, you two go to your seats, I need to go talk to a few people."

* * *

Puck was a complete mess. It was a good thing he was an actor because he was really feeling himself slip every once in a while. It was like his brain shut down as soon as he saw Rachel. She was wearing the shortest black strapless dress he felt he had ever seen in his entire life. Of course this led to him completely forgetting how to speak and when he did manage to speak he sounded retarded. He was so thankful that Emma had been there or else he would have lost his mind completely.

The entire ride to the premiere he had been trying to look anywhere else besides Rachel's long legs or her long black hair falling over her bare shoulders. He was certain that during the entire movie he was going to be thinking of nothing else besides wanting to sleep with her.

He was certain of that when he had simply helped her out of the limo and touched her on the base of her back. All he was thinking was how great she smelled and how he wanted to touch her more if he could. Of course he was completely charming on the outside, smiling his award-winning smile to the cameras while internally his mind was exploding with thoughts of how he wanted to get Rachel into bed.

He was really in trouble when Emma told them to go by themselves and he knew he was going to lose it. Thank god for reporters, however, because they would stop them to interview about the show, something to get his mind off of wanting to ravish Rachel Berry. This woman was driving him insane.

Rachel of course was completely unaware of his endless thoughts, he could tell. She thought he was an idiot. Every time he would attempt to talk she'd give her full attention and then when nothing came out she would roll her eyes and try to seem less uninviting the next time he tried. He was certain that there was no way he could ever get her to like him at this rate.

The premiere was filled with a lot of stars, and he met a few actors he had already worked with, including Bruce Willis. This was probably the only time during the entire night when he was thinking about something else. He actually managed to impress Rachel when he introduced her to Vocal Adrenaline, one of her favorite bands. He knew them because he had starred in one of their first music videos. This was the first time in the entire night that he managed to talk normally with Rachel. As it turned out they had a few things in common and that helped him a little. Of course he went right back to his previous thoughts as soon as they walked into the premiere.

The movie was boring, mostly because he didn't really know what was happening. Every time there was a long silence or a pause, he snuck a look over at Rachel, sitting at attention, her legs crossed. He was certain that he was going to kill Emma for letting Rachel wear such a short dress.

He didn't know if he was going to make it when suddenly the movie was over and the crowd was applauding. He looked around to try and find a way to escape when suddenly Rachel grabbed his hand. The one movement sent shivers running up his spine.

"Where are you going?"

"Oh, just stretching my legs," he said quickly and she stood up, not letting go of his hand.

"I have a bad feeling I'm going to get lost."

He felt her hands slip away as some actors near them started getting their photographs taken and the rumors would be spreading like wildfire if they were caught holding hands.

"Well, just stay close and you won't get lost," Puck said, giving her a smirk and held out an arm for her to take. He led her back to the lobby where there were more interviews talking about the show. Every time Rachel took his arm, a shiver ran through him and it was getting irritating.

Emma finally reappeared and led them back to the limo to go home. The night was a success, she was certain of it. Puck couldn't care less, he could just be his usual sexy self and everyone took pictures of him. But he was less sure about Rachel as they drove back to her apartment. He kept looking at her. She seemed distracted and he was too lost in his usual sexual thoughts when the limo stopped.

"Good night," Rachel said as she got out and Puck gave her a wave, letting out a loud sigh of relief when she was gone. He wondered if he was ever going to be able to get rid of her when he could barely talk to her. Little did he know that he was actually doing the exact same thing to Rachel.

* * *

Rachel couldn't explain it. She did not know why when she grabbed his hand that she felt a rush like she had never felt before. Her cheeks were getting hot and she was flustered for the first time in her short life. Puck was a player, she knew that well, and the only reason he asked her out was to help promote himself and the show. So why was she thinking about nothing else for the rest of the night? He had offered her his arm, and every time she took hold of him she felt like she was going to go weak in the knees. She was acting like a schoolgirl!

"Dammit… he's so weird… he barely even talked to me the entire time we were together… why can't I stop thinking about it?" Rachel said to herself as she paced her apartment restlessly. Tomorrow as the pilot shoot, she needed to focus on that, not on how nice Puck had looked in the tux. She yelled in frustration, and went to dunk her head in her bath tub to try and get the thoughts of him out of her head. She failed of course and ended going to bed early. She would never relay the extremely sensual dream she had, especially never to Puck.

* * *

**- Sorry for the slow update. If you have ever seen the movie "Paparazzi" then you know what it must feel like to be an actor walking the red carpet. More coming soon! Thanks for reading!**

**Invader Hog**


	6. Episode 105: That's Showbiz

**Laugh It Up**

**Summary: The new weekly sitcom "New Directions" gets a new face named Rachel Berry and her fellow co-stars are willing to do anything to get rid of her, even if it means bringing in the big guns in the form of their co-star, Noah Puckerman, an infamous playboy on the set.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.**

* * *

**Episode 105**

**That's Showbiz**

* * *

The Pilot was shot in three days, completed and ready to be shipped off for reviewing by the end of the week. The weekend was going to be nothing but madness as everyone rushed to get the next week's script prepared. Rachel had done nothing but avoid Puck and he did the exact same thing. Neither had been able to look each other in the eye since the movie premier. Quinn had noticed because she pulled Puck aside after one of the scene transitions.

"What in the hell is wrong with you? I've never seen you so flipped out. You had two lines and you missed both. What is going on with you?"

"I don't know, it's freaking me out. I've never been this off before," Puck said, staring at the set as Rachel and Finn talked to each other about notes.

"You need to get rid of her and fast. I just found out that I have a chance at an Oscar with my new movie I'm starting and I want to be absolutely certain that Rachel is not going to be a hindrance in my TV chances too!"

"Calm down, the Oscars are in February, next year. It's barely March," Puck replied, crossing his arms.

"Did I just hear you make an excuse? You promised me that she'd be heartbroken and off this set in two weeks and I expect exactly that!" Quinn snapped, turning and walking back towards Finn and Rachel.

* * *

But, the opportunity for everyone to get what they wanted did not come up as the weekend advanced. Rachel got called to an audition for a commercial and spent the weekend shooting for it and Puck had to go in to prep for his new action movie that was in pre-production. Emma also felt like something was off with Puck and didn't trust him, so she steered Rachel clear of him any moment she saw the possibility of them being alone together.

Rachel was thankful for this strange behavior and Puck only found it annoying. Thus the weekend passed and Monday morning the cast re-entered the set of New Directions with tired faces and new scripts.

"Long weekend?" Quinn asked, eyeing Rachel as she went to the breakfast table to grab a doughnut.

"Yes, very. I worked on a new commercial for a new phone coming out. How about you?" Rachel asked and Quinn regretted initiating the small talk, it was getting irritating. Before she could say anything Rachel noticed someone new sitting at the table where Puck usually sat.

"Who's that?" Rachel asked, pointing to him.

"Oh, wow, that's Jesse St. James! I didn't know he was going to be here."

"Jesse St. James the singer? I thought he was touring in Europe right now with Lady Gaga," Rachel replied, looking at him.

"He quit the tour early because he got an offer to make a movie here with Reese Witherspoon and Sandra Bullock," Finn said, walking up behind them. He looked a little annoyed at how Jesse was leaning back in his chair, texting on his blackberry.

"Guy's a total prick. I don't like him," Puck said, appearing on Rachel's right, almost making her jump when she looked up to see him.

"You don't like him because he took your chair," Quinn replied, rolling her eyes as the meeting of the writers and tech was called to order by Will.

"I have great news everyone! The network looked at our show first this weekend and ran it by the test audiences and they love it! The network is going to stick with the six episodes for now, but is planning on ordering more!" Will said, the room clapping as Rachel sat down across from Jesse and Puck crossed his arms in the seat next to him.

"However, the network didn't feel like there was something missing from the story, and so we've decided to add a new character that will be living across the hall from our lovely band. Jesse St. James auditioned for Finn's part originally and I really liked him so I offered him another chance to be in the show. He will be playing Arnold, the neighbor who tries everything he can to ruin the lives of the others."

Will clapped and the writers and everyone else followed as Jesse put away his phone and looked over at Rachel, giving her a little smirk.

"So, now we will pass out the new scripts with Arnold's scenes and we'll take it from the top!"

* * *

"Are you lost?" Rachel asked, looking over at Jesse.

"No, I'm new. I'm Arnold."

"I didn't know anyone else even lived on this floor."

"Oh, yeah, well I got it really cheap, the last guy that lived here was shot to death in his sleep by his ex-wife!"

The room laughed as Quinn looked between Jesse and Rachel during the dialogue. He was totally flirting with her, she could tell. Rachel seemed completely oblivious but Quinn had a sneaking suspicion about the whole thing. She looked over at Puck and could have sworn he had a more vacant expression than usual. He was staring between Rachel and Jesse as he gripped the table underneath with his script in his lap.

"That's nice, I guess. Do you have any roommates?" Rachel asked, looking down at her script.

"No, I'm a lone wolf. I saw a few guys leaving your place earlier. Partying a little too hard lately?"

"What? No. I live here with another woman and two guys," Rachel explained and looked up to see that Jesse was staring her dead in the eye. It was getting really uncomfortable. She smiled a little and looked back down at her script.

"Is that the name of a porn?" Jesse asked, the laughter filling the room as he looked up from his lines. The rest of the session was like this, Jesse constantly looking and sending leers at Rachel who tried hard to ignore him. Something was off about him and Quinn liked it.

She actually came up with a way to get rid of Rachel by having a talk with Jesse after the meeting. She was out in the lobby of the studio when he came walking over and she stepped out in front of him.

"Jesse St. James. I thought that you were done with acting," she said, leaning against a concrete wall and eyeing him.

"I'm dabbling until they tell me I can't anymore. Everything blown over with your little pregnancy scare?" Jesse asked, crossing his arms and eyeing her right back. She dropped her smile and stared him down.

"Listen, let's just cut the chit chat, I know that you're here for a reason. You're always getting into trouble wherever you go. So what is it?"

"Nothing much. My agent Shelby Corcoran thinks that this project will be good for me after my little disagreement with Lady Gaga."

"There are no little disagreements with Lady Gaga, you must have done something pretty bad. But that's not what I care about. Corcoran doesn't just do anything without a really good reason, like maybe trying to ruin Rachel Berry's chances at this part so one of her own clients can replace the cast of New Directions, perhaps?"

"She's got other reasons, but maybe… What are you going to do about it?" Jesse asked, leaning closer and crossing his arms.

"Nothing. I want to help," Quinn replied, standing up a little straighter.

"Help? You're kidding."

"No, I want that annoying little upstart off this set and fast. She is the perfect Susie Q type that audiences root for and I don't want her sudden appearance interfering with my chances at Best Television Actress!"

"So you want to get rid of her?"

"Yeah. I already tried having someone break her heart and make her leave on her own, but he's failing, badly. Now I want you to do what he couldn't. You in?"

Jesse backed away from her and looked at the exit of the studio, Finn and Rachel talking to Will about notes on the script.

"What the hell, I'll do it."

* * *

**- So I have not updated in over a year and I have no real excuse besides the fact that I haven't been able to really write anything in a long time. I'm starting to get back into it and when I got a message in my inbox from a reader complaining that I haven't updated and I should either pass it on or finish it, I felt like I owe it to my fellow Gleeks to see this story through to the end. I am sorry to everyone who wanted to know what was going to happen and have given up on this story. I promise to get it finished as soon as I can. Thank you for the reviews and favs.**

**Invader Hog**


	7. Episode 106: Drama

**Laugh It Up**

**Summary: The new weekly sitcom "New Directions" gets a new face named Rachel Berry and her fellow co-stars are willing to do anything to get rid of her, even if it means bringing in the big guns in the form of their co-star, Noah Puckerman, an infamous playboy on the set.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.**

* * *

**Episode 106**

**Drama**

* * *

Puck was a mess. He had to admit it. He had completely lost it. Rachel was beginning to plague him and now the sudden appearance of Jess St. James was making him uneasy. He didn't like how he just showed up out of nowhere. He never trusted St. James, not even when they worked together before on a movie back when Puck was just starting out. They had never really met eye to eye and everyone that Puck tried to go after, St. James would go after as well. It was unbearable. And Puck quickly figured out that Quinn had changed her little plan to have St. James go after Rachel.

Of course Puck wanted Rachel just as gone as Quinn did, but something about the way the entire mess was playing out was nagging at him. He was starting to lose his mind, honestly. He sat silently in his limo with Mike, his new publicist and looking at his phone.

"Mike, I've got a problem," Puck said, looking through his e-mails.

"Oh, dude, don't worry, we'll get you some medicine for that, or if we have to get an abortion, no problem," Mike said, pulling his phone out of his pocket and Puck looked up at him.

"Not that kind of a problem, dumbass. I'm talking about a… a problem with Berry."

"Berry? Rachel Berry?" Mike asked, squinting at him in confusion.

"Yeah… I… I want her off of the show. She's driving me insane."

"How?"

"Well… she's… she's… I just want her off the show! Quinn does too so figure out how I can get rid of her. I tried to hook up with her and every time I try to talk to her I look like an idiot and that dick Jesse St. James just shows up out of nowhere and flirts with her. Its ridiculous."

"Okay, you lost me at 'I want her off the show.' What is going on with you? I've known you since high school and I've never seen you lose your cool around anything female before. Are you sure you don't just like Rachel?"

Puck just stared at Mike and he coughed a little, looking down at his phone.

"Well, if you want to get rid of her so bad, why don't you just let St. James do what he does best, ruin peoples' lives?"

Puck continued to stare at him as the limo slowed down. Puck couldn't help but wonder the same thing. Why didn't he just let things ride? He didn't have to get his hands dirty and Quinn was happy. Sure he wanted that place to start his club and… shit! He'd forgotten the entire plot of the first chapter of the story! He was supposed to get that property. St. James wouldn't just be kicking Rachel off the show by stopping her heart into the ground, he would get rid of the leverage that Puck had over Quinn! He needed that space, he didn't have much time to get his lawyers in order to get the deal finalized. So he did have to come up with a plan to date Rachel, get rid of her and keep St. James at bay. But he wasn't the brightest crayon in the box and Puck knew that for certain. He looked at Mike and the only semi-good idea he had all day popped into his head.

"Mike! You're going to help me!"

* * *

Rachel didn't really know what to think about Jesse. He was nice, but a little forward and she much preferred to stay away from him. She had avoided him for the most part, but he was constantly showing up in front of her. By the end of the shoot she was certain that he was trying to hook up with her and despite her very, very limited experience in the dating world, that would not be the best idea. She had already tried everything she could to avoid Puck because he was making her nervous every time he was around and while she didn't feel nervous around Jesse, she wondered if that wasn't the exact problem. Puck made her nervous and anxious at the same time and he barely even spoke to her.

"Are you alright?" Emma asked, looking sideways at Rachel. They were standing outside of Rachel's apartment and she snapped back to reality. Emma had drove her home and she was supposed to get ready for another round of shooting in the morning.

"Oh, yeah, sorry about that. I'm fine," Rachel replied, smiling and hurrying to the front door and opening the door. She couldn't talk to Emma about it, she wouldn't understand. Emma was sweet but she had absolutely no dating experience and the only guy who wanted to be with her was a dentist that Emma was hesitating to eve go out on a date with.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Rachel said, smiling and waving as she closed the door of her apartment, sighing a little. She threw her keys on the counter and began to make herself dinner after turning on the television. The evening news was filled with death and murder and kidnappings, the usual. Finally the entertainment section came on and the mention of Quinn and Finn's names made Rachel hurry over to look.

"Tonight the news from America's Sweethearts' new show is that Jesse St. James will be joining the cast for the second episode, the pilot already fully shot. St. James, infamous singer and playboy, was on tour with Lady Gaga three months ago and had dropped the tour to play aside Reese Witherspoon in her new movie "Silent Prayers." Due to scheduling conflicts and problems with the director, St. James was dropped from the project without ever having shot and had to recover his losses by taking up a role on "New Directions." His manager, Shelby Corcoran, has stated that the move was the best and that a show where St. James can perform and act will be the best for his career. In other news about the show, last week brand new starlet Rachel Berry was seen with her new co-star Noah "Puck" Puckerman at the premiere of "Lovely American Tragedy" and they had this to say about the new show."

The woman speaking cut to an interview with Rachel and Puck. Rachel smiled brightly as she sat closer to the TV to see it better.

"I'm just very excited to be able to have this opportunity," Rachel said, waving a little as the camera flashes surrounded them.

"Yeah, its going to be a great show that will be on hopefully for a few seasons," Puck replied and smiled for the cameras.

The show cut to another segment and Rachel looked at the clock. It was almost nine, fairly early. She grabbed her phone to send a text when suddenly her doorbell rang. She looked up and walked over cautiously.

"Rachel?"

Jesse was smiling back through her peephole and she opened the door, a little disappointed. She, God only knows why, had actually hoped it was Puck on the other side.

"Jesse, what are you doing here?"

"I've come to take you on a night around the town! It'll be good publicity for us."

He spread his arms towards the street where a limo was waiting. She looked back at the clock.

"What's wrong Cinderella?" he asked, flashing his Hollywood smile and holding out a hand for her to take.

"Just… Just let me get ready," Rachel said, smiling and closing the door. She didn't have much time, but she did clean up nice, and the pair left in the limo before nine-thirty struck.

Rachel didn't know why she was hesititating or why she wanted to text Puck to tell him where she was. She just knew that she did and she felt really uncomfortable with Jesse, he was smiling way too much. But soon he was talking to her and keeping her engaged that she wasn't able to send that text that she didn't know what she would have said in even if she had written it.

* * *

Puck was at home when he saw it on the news. He was lounging and waiting for Mike to call him with the plan. Of course Puck wasn't smart enough to come up with something, thus the reason why he told Mike he wasn't going to get this month's pay if he didn't come up with a plan by the morning. Puck knew that would work because Mike liked being paid. But when the sudden blast of Rachel and Jesse's picture was plastered all over the eleven o'clock news, he almost threw his remote through the television. Jesse had beaten him to the punch. There for the world to see was Jesse kissing Rachel Berry in front of the new club Jesse had opened the week before. Puck knew that this was going to be war, nothing less.

* * *

**- Set up for an all out battle for Rachel! Woot! Trying to catch this story up with the second season of Glee, but finding it hard, that show moves so fast. Anywho, thank you for all of the reviews!**

**Invader Hog**


	8. Episode 107: Mike's Got a Plan

**Laugh It Up**

**Summary: The new weekly sitcom "New Directions" gets a new face named Rachel Berry and her fellow co-stars are willing to do anything to get rid of her, even if it means bringing in the big guns in the form of their co-star, Noah Puckerman, an infamous playboy on the set.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.**

* * *

**Episode 107**

**Mike's Got A Plan**

* * *

Mike Chang was a dancer. To be honest, that's all he ever wanted to do with his life, but unfortunately his career was stalled because of problems with academics in high school and he didn't get accepted into the best college in the world and practical application of dance to the real world was not working so when Puck offered him a job as a publicist, a job he knew nothing about, and was told about the ridiculous plan of Puck's and Quinn's about getting rid of Rachel, he was certain he was going to bite the big one. But then in the middle of the night he woke up in a cold sweat. It had come to him in a dream.

He had gotten a call that evening from a very pissed off Noah Puckerman about the kissing on television. It was probably just some dumb play by Jesse St. James to make his return to the States more bearable for people. The media was having a field day with it and already bloggers were shipping the pair and tweeting the crap out of the incident.

So, when the plan came to Mike, he knew he needed to call Puck and tell him. Of course it was five in the morning and Puck was knocked out on his couch and so it was pointless in calling him. So Mike wrote the entire plan down so he didn't forget it. He then resumed sleeping and woke up some hours later to get ready for work.

He met with Puck at his apartment to pick him up with his manager, Mark, and explained the plan verbatim from the paper that Mike had written this brilliant plan down on.

"Okay, so this is what we do. We're going to make you look like the hero and Jesse look like the lying cheating villain."

Puck sipped on his water as he eyed Mike.

"I don't understand."

"Okay, we're going to shoot the rest of this week and things are going to get hectic. St. James is going to try everything he can to get more publicity to make himself look good, so we use that to our advantage. Make Rachel realize that Jesse is just using her and that you only care about her and her well-being. This will make her think that you really like her."

Of course Puck wasn't about to admit that he already really liked her and it probably was only the last bit of dignity he had left to not blurt it out for the world. Puck resumed looking at his drink as Mike resumed his presentation of the plan.

"Then, we make a deal with St. James to help his career with a few promotional gossip, sell the entire rivalry to the press, and then crush Rachel by dumping her in front of everyone at the premiere of the pilot episode. Everyone wins, Jesse gets his name back as a bad ass, you get your club and Quinn gets rid of Rachel. Sounds like a great plan, right?"

Puck didn't respond and Mike took that as a bad sign.

"Get me on the phone with Jesse," he said, looking up from his water. He didn't want to do this, honestly, to Rachel, to her reputation, all of it. But he wanted that club. He wanted this chance. He wanted to make it work out. Once Rachel was gone everything would be better anyway, he was certain of that. At least, he hoped. He didn't know what else to do, she was driving him insane and he wanted his damn club.

Mike had Jesse on the phone when Puck was pulled out of his side note. Mike handed the phone over to Puck.

"Hey, Puckerman! What's going on, bro?" Jesse said, laughing and pouring himself a cup of coffee. He was already onset and getting ready for the first shoot of the day. He could spot Rachel at the other end of the set, trying to avoid him. She was pissed, like really pissed about what had happened the night before. After he had kissed her, she played it off and once they were inside the club, she slapped the shit out of him, leaving a nice red mark and finding her way out via the back entrance and called her agent to pick her up before Jesse could find her again.

"Nothing, but I can't help but wonder what is your plan with hooking up with Rachel Berry."

"What's it to you?"

"Listen, idiot, I know what you're playing at. Quinn wants rid of Rachel and you're trying to hook up with her, but it won't work."

"Are you trying to stop me?" Jesse asked in a challenging tone.

"No… I'm not… I want rid of her too. She's too… Anyway, I get something out of this whole thing too, so I have a plan on how to get rid of her so that you benefit too."

"I'm listening," Jesse replied, typing something into his phone and looking across the way towards Rachel.

"I want to get rid of her too. So, you pretend to be nice to her, suck up to her, stuff like that, and then I tell her that you're a lying cheating bastard and act like the hero. We play it up for the press and then just when she thinks that everything is going well between us, I dump her like a rock, she can't take it and she dumps the show. Everyone wins."

"So let me get this straight, you want me to butter up Rachel, and then you, Puck, swoop in and play hero, hook up with her, then dump her?"

"Yes."

"Alright. I like it. I like playing the jerk mostly because it makes for better headlines. I'll work my magic and everyone will be happy in the end. I can't wait."

Puck hung up without another word and looked at Mike.

"He's in."

Mike smiled but was starting to regret this plan. At the end of the day, everyone won, except Rachel. He hadn't really thought of that, but he had little choice, the point was to get rid of her, not worry about her feelings. He watched Puck sit back in the limo as it approached the studio, silence filling the car as Mark texted on his phone.

* * *

While Mike's plan was being put into order and the agreement finalized between the two idiotic men, Quinn was making plans of her own. She trusted Jesse as far as she could throw him. She had jumped the gun with asking him to fix her problem with Rachel before really thinking it through. Seeing the kissing on the news only exploded the show more, but not in Quinn's favor. She wanted the spotlight and the way things were going, a few people were getting in her limelight. She had to figure out how to keep everything in the media pointed to how amazing she was. Which was why she came up with a new plan. This new plan included a press junket in four days. It was a weekend trip, three days of promoting America's Sweethearts' newest film together. This would be the perfect opportunity for Rachel destruction with pushing Jesse to screw Rachel over and dump her like a rock. She relayed this plan to Jesse and he relayed it to Puck. Of course Puck and Jesse decided to leave their own arrangement out of the news relayed back to Quinn. It was all for the best. That's what Puck kept telling himself as he got into costume for his first scene of the day. It was all for the best…

* * *

**- Two chapters in two days! Woot! I was having trouble deciding where this story was going to go. Finally came up with it after watching an epsiode of guess what, Glee! I wanted to use Mike more and if you think the plot is looking like American Sweethearts, you'd be correct! Thanks for all of the reviews!**

**Invader Hog**


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